Signaling device.



P. DORSEY.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-3,1915.

Patented May 22, 1917.

i illustrating its rant/inn nonsnr, or nurcmnsommnses.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented May 22, i917.

Application filed September 3, 1 915. fierial No. 458,908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Panama Donsnr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hutchinson, in the county of Reno and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in slgnahng Devices;

and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

y invention relates to a direction indicator for automobiles and has forits principal object to provide a signaling device whereby the driver ofan automobile may indicate to a crossing o'lhcer, to other drivers,either in front of or behind his own vehicle, or to pedestrians, when heis to turn a. corner, and the direction in which he is about to turn.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an indicating devicewhich is simple both in construction and operation, Which. may bemounted on the wind shield or other part of the automobile, and whichmay be operated by a mechanism attached to any convenient portion of'the vehicle.

In accomplishing this object I have provided improved details ofstructure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure I is perspective view of an automobile equipped with an indicatorconstructed according to my invention.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the indicator, attachment to a wind shield.

Fig. III is a detail perspective view of the operating device.

Fig. IV is a central, longitudinal section of the same.

Fig. V is a detail perspective view of a steering post. illustrating then'iounting or the indicator operating mechanism thereon.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates an automobile of any ordinary type and comprising a windshield 2. hlounted on the frame of the wind shield, at opposite endsthereof. are bz'ziiclreizs 3-3 that extend laterally from the 'frame andcarry vertical studs 4t i, between spaced out contacting arms 5-5, atthe ends of the brackets. Pivotally mounted on said studs, between thebracket arms, are indicators 66, preferably constructed to resemble ahuman 1 hand, for the reason that it has become a custom With drivers ofautomobiles to project their arms from the sides of the vehicle toindicate the direction in which their car is about to turn, the brackets3 -3 being preferably curved forwardly in order to provide space infront of the wind shield in which the-indicator hands may lie withtheshield when they are at one limit of their movement.

Connected with one of the indicator hands connected with a bolt 8, onthe bracket, the parts being so arranged that the spring will urge theindicator hand away from the Wind shield and to a position where itpoints laterally from the vehicle, tlie arm carrying the spring havingsuitable connection with an operating device to hold the arm againsttension of the spring.

In the preferred construction, the connection of the hand 6 with theoperating device comprises a. cord or cable 10 that is attached to theopposite hand 6, so that when the hand 6 is moved outwardly toindicating position, the hand 6 will follow at a right angle to the lineof travel but in front of the wind shield, where it cannot be observedby a trailing car and cannot indicate to a crossing ofiicer or a personapproaching from the opposite direction.

The cord or cable 10 runs over a pulley 11, mounted on the hand bracket3, and over other suitable pulleys 18 that are mounted on the vehicleand are arranged to carry the connection to a point convenient to theoperator of the car, Where it is connected with the end of a rod 15,which is slidably mounted in a barrel 16, that is fixed to a suitablepart illustration showing the barrel attached to the edge of the vehicleframe, although such mounting is not essential. The barrel 16 has astaggered slot 17 and and projecting through the slot in the barrel is ahandle member 18., having a shank 19 adapted to travel within the slotand for seating back of the shoulders 20-21 therein, to hold the cableagainst the tension of of the vehicle, the present .is a spring 7, theopposite end of which is too the spring 7. The cable is so connectedwith the arm 6 that a slight longitudinal movement of the cable willmove the arm spring will hold the indicator hands so that they projectat right angles to the line. of travel and in one direction, and whenthe shank engages the shoulder of the slot 21 at the opposite end of thebarrel, the hands I will be projected at right angles to the line oftravel and in the other direction, the intermediate shoulder 20 holdingthe, hands at an intermediate position wherein they point directlyforward over the car.

In Fig. V I have illustrated a modified operating device consisting of aclamp 23 which is attached to the steering post 24: and carries aquadrant 25. Pivotally mounted on the clamp is a-lever '26 adapted fortravel along the steering wheel and connected with the cable 10, thesaid cable being run through a pulley so that when the lever is moved inone direction it will pull on the cable to actuate the same against thetension of the operating spring, and when moved in the other directionit will'release the cable so that hands may be moved in the otherdirection.

Assuming the indicator parts to be constructed as described andassembled on an p the car may know automobile, the spring for actuatingthe indicator arm willnormally tend to urge the arms toward one side ofthe automobile, such tendency being restrained however, by the operatingdevice which is normally retained in intermediate or neutral position,wherein they extend forwardly in the line of travel of the car. If thedriver wishes to turn the car to the right he releases the actuatingdevice so that the spring may pull the hands laterally to throw theright hand indicator hand outwardly from the car to a right anglethereto, so that a person approaching the car, a pedestrian about tocross the street, a traffic officer, or a person following that the carcarrying the indicator is to turn to the right at the next corner andmay act accordingly to avoid accidents.

After the vehicle has turned the corner and again assumes a strai htline travel, the operating device is pulled back to intermediateposition against the tension of the spring. Should the driver wish toturn his car to the left he pulls the operating handle back to the lastnotch so that the hands move to the left against the tension of thespring, and are held in such position by the shank seating in the lastnotch in the barrel slot, the indication being the same asthat for theright hand turn except for the dlrection that is indicated by theopposite position of the hands.

While I have described a specific construction, mounting, andcombination of the indicator on a vehicle, it is apparent that this hasbeen merely to better illustrate the construction and principle of theinvention, and should not be considered a limitation of its scope.

- Having thus'described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:.

1. The combination with the windshield of a motor vehicle, of bracketsmounted at the opposite side edges of the windshield and curvedoutwardly and forwardly therefrom, indicating devices pivotally mountedon vertical axes at the outer ends of said brackets, a spring connectedwith one of Said brackets and with one of the indicating devices, tourge said device outwardly, connection between said devices, anoperating mechanism connected with the other device, whereby both ofthat devices may be moved to neutral or a second indicating positionagainst the tension of said yielding means.

2. The combination with the windshield of a motor vehicle, of a bracketmounted at each side edge of the windshield and curved laterally andforwardly therefrom, an eating device mounted on each bracket, a springconnected with one of the brackets and with the adjacent indicatingdevice, and arranged to urge said device to an indicatindiing positionat the side of the vehicle, connection between said devices, whereby thedevices are moved synchronously and in the same direction, an operatingmechanism including a flexible member, connected with the secondindicating device, whereby both of the devices may be moved against thetension of said spring. v

3. The combination with a windshield of a motor vehicle, of a bracketmounted at each side of the windshield, and extended laterally andforwardly therefrom, indicating devices mounted on vertical axis at theouter end of the bracket, connection between said indicating devices, aspring con nected with all ofthe devices and arrangedto urge both of thedevices to one position transversely of the vehicle, whereby one of thedevices extends laterally from the edge of the windshield, and the otherextends in front of the windshield, an operating mechof :1 motorvehicle, of a bracket mounted at vice and attached thereto and to thedevice each side of the Windshield, an indicating having the Springconnection, and guide device pivotally mounted at the outer end of ,pilleys' on: one of the brackets and 'on the 10 each bracket, :1 springconnected with one of vehicle, for" the purpose set forth.

5 the indicating devices, and arranged to" urge In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature.

the same laterally to indicating*position, a flexible member run throughthe other de- PARMER DORSEY.

